E V O L U T I O N

He's quick to make his way right past the two bickering mice, already so used to ignoring similar banter that he barely even registered it. Even if the rest of the Plumbers couldn't help but stop and stare, looking between each other at the uncanny similarity on display.

Before, of course, following behind Tennyson.

"You know where Shosei is? Gotta tell him and his starving pals the care package has finally arrived." A 'care package' of fast food that could undoubtedly be smelled for a significant distance, even in the open air. He clearly hadn't lied when he said he was getting a lot.

"I will also have to get into contact with the local leaders, here." Rook added, having to lean around all the food in his own arms. "As this is now an official Plumbers Operation, I will have to ensure we are properly organized & recognized with the local populace."

"Given the amount of Digi Eggs the village has, everyone elected to get to work on expanding it so there's space." Hotake explained. "It's likely Angoramon is also there, for what it's worth. We don't have a lot of able-bodied people around still, so it's all hands on deck."

"Well," he began, glancing back. "We used to not have many able-bodied people, anyways."

He's still not sure what to say about the whole platoon of Plumbers, but considering they were with Ben? At the very least, it's not hard to guess that they're on their side. Something clearly caught by the village's guards, too, as Bullmon at the gate began to open it to let them inside.

In the center of the village truly is such an immense stockpile of eggs that, if Ben hadn't been here before, it would've seemed impossible. That wasn't even all of them, if he somehow remembered the exact number, but that's quickly explained by the oh-so-small Baby Digimon that are peeking out from windows and doorways at the sound of the many footfalls.

"Well, look who's here." Came the familiar voice, as Shosei poked his own head out of the infirmary near the worksite. "I was wondering if there was going to be trouble getting back if ya took much longer."

There was a similar lack of serious reaction to the teen falling out of the tree, though Ben's eyes do go somewhat wide at what he said.

"Three days...?" Ben asked, eyes already looking up to Rook for an answer, because he'd definitely been gone for longer than that.

"Time flows differently in this 'Digital World' than our own, Ben. Only a fifth of the time has passed here comparatively, based on my basic estimation." The Revonnahgander answered succinctly, much to Ben's own blinking confusion for a moment, counting on his fingers for a moment as Rook rolls his eyes, eventually getting it.

"I guess missing three days is better than missing two weeks." He replied with a shrug, turning his attention back Hotake. "Sorry, dude- I'm a pretty busy guy back home. Lots of bad guys to fight."

"Well, I guess it can't be helped." Hotake said, clearly now taking in the fact that the majority of people in the Plumbers line-up weren't, in fact, human. Aliens were real somewhere, evidently, and that's something he'll have to unpack later. Not any weirder than Digital Monsters... "The village has been doing okay, though Agumon and Gabumon have been complaining about 'starving'."

There's no doubt they've been fed every day, of course, but both of them were whiny children, after all...

Keramon set the two other Digimon down, laughing some more before slinking off toward the village as Hotake went to do the same.

"You do not have a Warp Gate in your pocket!" Lixie exclaimed, clearly upset about the notion of such a device becoming handheld.

"The technology for something like that is way past what can be done here." Dixie pointed out, looking at least more interested than defiant over it.

"Exactly! That's why he doesn't have one!"

"He just said he was a multidimensional traveler, Lixie, that means he clearly got it from another universe."

"Well, I still don't believe it!"

"It don't matter if you believe it, he has it."

"He does not!"

All the very official work being done in preparation being in stark contrast to the two at front carrying arms worth of fast food, smoothies a burgers and chili fries wafting through the air as they stood, waiting for the two bickering Galvan technicians to setup the portal properly as they talked amongst themselves.

"... and these 'Digital Monsters', they are empowered by the emotions of material life?" The Revonnahgander asked, clearly still having trouble parsing the rather complex information, even with explanations from both Ben and Azmuth on the matter.

His partner, already stealing fries from the back and chasing them with slurps of his smoothie, looking up and shrugging.

"Seems like it! From what Azmuth saw, my emotions drew out the power to Evolve. Like I did against Albedo-" Ben explained before quickly helping himself to another handful of fries.

Rook seemed content with that answer, already quite accustomed to Ben's eating habits to not ask further questions while his mouth was full (he would answer them), turning his attention the portal as it burst to life before the two... him making sure Ben was clear out of the way of the controls this time around, before the two would step through with their whole gathering of troops in tow.

Ben hoping Shosei was okay, despite his extended absence.

Things seem incredibly lively in the town, given the many movements that can be spotted even from here. The large bundle of eggs in the center of town revealing they were clearly working on ensuring all of them stayed warm. It's strange, though, given Ben was gone so long; surely, things would be slightly more along than this.

Though that thought is disrupted when two familiar mouse-like humanoids come rushing from the bushes, one carrying a strange blowtorch and the other a wrench. Letting out little battle cries.

Lixie and Dixie charging with clear intent of stopping what they thought were more hostile intruders, only to be picked up by the collars of their shirts by a laughing Keramon while the two realize it was, in fact, just Ben.

"You two are just supposed to be recon..." The boy murmured, leaning down from the tree before sighting Ben and letting out a small shriek at the sight of all the Plumbers- falling out of the tree with a groan. "It's, uh, you! Good to see you! I didn't think it would take three days to get food."

They very quickly stop in place at Gatomon's panicking reaction, even as some already had pizza boxes held over their heads, silently looking between each other and putting most back.

"That's reasonable." One said with a nod, another quickly following with "We'll just split one amongst ourselves!" with their one box still held, and specifically not the one Gatomon herself was eating.

They quickly pile up next to each other around the one with the box, each clone eating a slice in incredibly cursed (but different) ways.

Watching Ben(s) bicker about who got the last slice with a little awkward chuckle as she carried her own new slice toward the couch again (not at all reacting to the strange ways he ate them in fear of encouraging them).

The answer of who got the last slice being done for them when Rea's hand snatched up the last slice just before the argument would be settled to take a bite from it.

"Our money, I get at least a slice o' all these pizzas." She said, glowering jokingly down at them all.

Her other hand was holding the modified Warp Gate, showing she really had finished the task with surprising speed and efficiency. It looked somewhat strange, but that's mostly down to using mismatching metal to attach the new power bank to the device.

Sure enough, with third FLASH, he transforms into something much smaller and less likely to tear their home to the ground.

Though, still clearly not the one he was looking for.

"Aw, man." The little Splixson (albeit, still taller than Gatomon) pouted with a huff, though he does seem to perk up at Rea's assurance that she apparently had it handled. "Oh... thanks! I guess I should just..." He starts, reaching up to the Omnitrix now on his head.

Before he blinks, interrupting himself as an identical clone appeared next to him, tapping their chin. "Or maybe, hear me out..." Another one splits off with a smirk. "We treat ourselves..."

Two more split off as the original looks up, all turning in unison.

"TO SOME PIZZA!"

There is now small stampede of little guys rushing towards the table with the pizza boxes were laid out, ravenous and unrelenting.

Even as Gatomon let out a surprised yowl when she heard the stampede rushing for the table of food, her mostly finished slice left on the coffee table while she frantically scrambled to get ahead of the swarm of Ditto Ditto before they tore through every pizza. Especially the one she got specifically for herself, too.

"Those pizzas are for all of us- with leftovers in mind!" She shouted, doing her best to keep them from just taking all of it in a panic.

"Oh, come on. What was I supposed to say?" The Segmentasapien scoffed at Gatomon's clear peeve at being lied to, swinging his arms up. "I didn't know you two wouldn't sell me out the instant you found out back then, much less everyone else at that Coliseum."

Having the last word in that argument wouldn't solve anything, though, so he's quick to refocus his efforts on the current circumstance... and Rea, as she included herself in it.

"Well, it's probably functional enough as it is, but I'm assuming these things come with worlds & destinations already pre-set. I was just gonna hack it so it could take me back to my world."

Ben picks the Warp Gate up, gently, and hands it over to Rea with a stretching arm- more to get it out of his way so he doesn't break it than any expectation of her doing it. "Finding my universe isn't actually that complicated, the Omnitrix has a beacon function..." He mutters, tapping the device and, sure enough, it was online.

Automatically creating a signal straight the device to his home universe that could be tracked, and if Blukic & Driba were doing their jobs (they weren't) seen. "I just needed one of my smarter guys to actually do the hacking part. I'm not that tech smart."

Made evident as he, once again, tries to transform by tapping on the Omnitrix- and, in another FLASH, the block creature was replaced by a goliath, quadrupedal reptile who's horns nearly scratched the ceiling, who's tail swatted against the wall, and who's wings...

A dragon. He was a dragon.

"... oh, I didn't know the Omnitrix had one of these guys!" He said with excitement, looking over this new form with clear interest, distracting himself from the actual goal he was trying to achieve.

Very clearly telling him without words to not break anything considering he's now taking up a good chunk of the free space in the warehouse.

Rea, meanwhile, is flopping down into her work chair, pulling a cord out from her laptop to attach it to the Warp Gate while she got to work. It wasn't too difficult to piggy-back off the outgoing signal, even as she's surprised by what she found. It wasn't too different from a Warp Gate going from the Material to the Digital, though, so her knowledge should still apply with some tweaks.

She could jailbreak these in her sleep, though, so that aspect of working was done with a few brisk keystrokes to let her program do that for her. For now, though, she opened a drawer in one of her tool cabinets. Pulling out power supplies of various makes and models before eventually finding one that would suit giving the Warp Gate the power it needed for this.

And the pizza boxes, but thankfully that's quick enough to change as their deliveries arrived in decent time, Gatomon handing him a package so small that it made him blink in confusion.

The Warp Gate he'd seen the Dark Destined using was massive, used tons of power, and had to be built in a specific location... and those mice engineers said it'd be more costly the build in the Material World. Yet, as he opened it, there it was- a similar device, just incredibly streamlined. Grey Matter was entirely right.

Regardless of the clear advancement, though, it was still going to need some fine-tuning before it was able to be used for what he wanted it for, which meant he had to get small.

Setting the open package down beside him, he gets up and taps at his 'Digivice' again, bringing up the holographic display.

"You guys can keep a secret, right?" He asked, spinning the holographic wheel off of Heromon to one of the other countless options apparently on the device, eventually landing on one with big round eyes and selecting it, button extending once again.

Confident enough that he knew the answer and thus not waiting for one before pressing down on it and, in a FLASH, transforming.

Clearly not into Heromon, as was probably expected at this point, but he also hadn't transformed into anything like what he'd selected... him very quickly realizing it by the fact he wasn't small at all.

If anything, he was significantly bigger... and, block-ier? Him looking just as confused as he blinked down at his hands.

It was bizarre to question if someone was from this world, especially when 'this world' was already tangential as it was. Though, perhaps that's exactly why they were able to come to this conclusion. That's why, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, neither of them give more than a bit of wide-eyed look when Ben turned into a hulking figure of blocks.

"A Digivice, huh?" Gatomon asked, arms crossed. "Well, either way, try to not knock anything over."

With that, she's heading over to the food table to get herself a slice of the food slathered with butter and seafood, making her way over to the 'living room' portion where television and comfortable seating laid.

That did remind him, once again, of the food he'd wasted earlier, and where he'd meant to bring it, and makes him frown. Friends were missing out on smoothies & chili fries right now and it was his fault, which was a huge bummer. He'd have to make it up to them...

That required getting a new Warp Gate, though, and thankfully Rea was willing to make the purchase on his behalf after he'd passed off his winnings to her. Would've been a headache for him to.

Rea, meanwhile, was in the gym portion of the vast expanse of a residence unless disturbed. Which was certainly surprising after the match they'd just had, pounding into a heavy bag as it flew with every sound strike.

The pizzas and Warp Gate arrive at nearly the same time, showing just how casual Digimon can be in this universe as Gatomon answered the door to take the package while Rea scooped up the five large boxes to place side-by-side on the nearest table. From cheese and honey to 'Stuffed Giga Meat', which was more meat than pizza, really.

"Here you are, one Warp Gate." Gatomon said, handing the shockingly small package over to Ben.

He certainly still wasn't comfortable with the situation at all, but he's at least more confident that this wasn't going to end up turning into a fight, as ready for one as Gatomon still seemed to be.

As the assurances of this not being any sort of serious offer or threat are given, and the business card is offered, Ben shoots a reluctant glance at Rea before accepting the card and pocketing it.

"I'll think about it." Ben said, not being the first time this week he's said that with no real intention of following through with it.

"Is that so? Well, I hope you have a fine rest of your day, then."

With that, she turned briskly on heel to depart as well, making it clear she'd done all that she had to do for the time being. Something that made Gatomon glare at her back like she could bore a hole clean through her.

Either way, Rea wasn't going to bear it any more thought, finally making her way toward the exit herself. Which, thankfully, wasn't in the same direction of the departing Yggdrasil representative. Gatomon clambering onto her back once again to sit in her hood to relax now that she doesn't have to potentially fight.

"Pizza or sushi...?" Gatomon murmured, nestling herself into the hood so much that the only thing remaining were her ears twitching above.

Rea was more focused on heading out, going through another Gate to what appeared to be the back entrance to the Colosseum, where plenty of people were already on their way out. Mostly people cursing their luck about poor betting.

She's going to the large terminal in the distance, taking her phone out and briefly sliding it into the slot before withdrawing it. A portal shimmering into place with only a few additional presses on the terminal.

Ben already wincing even before he turns around, having a strong guess at what was behind him, and sure enough, there was a suit surrounded by Digimon, the aesthetic very clearly identifying.

Unable to keep his feelings off his face as he was addressed.

"Gee, thanks..." He awkwardly acknowledged the praise, instinctively putting his arms behind his back catching the glance downward. This wasn't a conversation he was interested in having, and he wasn't afraid to show that. Suits were always trouble.

The woman's youth didn't do anything to disarm his concerns, having met plenty even younger who were just as conniving.

"That would be a pity. Talent like yours is rare to come by, it would be most unfortunate if this breakout match is also your last," she shrugged. "I take it you are not a fan of me, are you? I understand. I am a representative of a corporation, after all, and it can feel a touch.. artificial, yes?"

She didn't even need to give any physical command, as the Digimon around her were quick to about-face and begin leaving the scene. Making it appear far less imposing, after all, as they continue down the long curved hallway.

"Do not fret, this is not a recruitment attempt, if that is what you are afraid of, nor am I here to make any bids on your device. I can already tell you would not part with such a unique device. I was merely here to congratulate you and show support for your future endeavors in any way I can."

She reached into inner pocket, procuring a business card to hold out between two fingers with a flourish that seemed so natural that it might have just been.

"Consider this more an olive branch than anything else. Personal interest, solely. If you have any questions whatsoever, feel free to contact me at any time. I am hopeful that I will see you again."

Rea rested a hand against her cheek behind Ben, resting it on her crossed arm to show her utter annoyance at the interruption for their plans to get food (and Ben's Warp Gate issues, she guessed).

Even as Gatomon was drifting between walking somewhere between Ben and Rea, clearly trying to keep close to either of them in case this somehow went sideways. Not that it seemed like it would, given the calmness on display.

He passes a glance at the two beaten sisters as they passed, raising a brow at the unfriendly-looking company surrounding them... guess that's the price paid for making your sponsor look bad.

There was a part of him that almost wanted to stop to try give them a hand, but he didn't have time to get wrapped up in that, as Rea pointed out at the clerk's counter... the teenager blinking as he realized this was, of course, a digital payout.

"Uhhh... you can just pass my half of the winnings onto her, right?" He asks the clerk, nodding to Rea and making a show of checking his pockets. "Forgot my phone, and don't really need the money..."

Nevertheless, she's letting out a quiet curse as she glanced over Ben's shoulder again.

"Fan-fuckin'-tastic." She said, clearly certain they're not getting out of this interaction now.

It was clear why, given that the crowd approaching was actually an entourage. Valkyries similar to those that Astrid fused with hovering above while towering viking and knight-like Digimon march behind a woman. One that, shockingly, didn't seem too terribly much older than any of them.

Dark red hair, dressed in a red tripped business suit and tie, completed with an axe tie-pin. Smiling as sweetly as someone in her likely position could.

"You two must be the ones that bested our warriors in battle, yes?" She asked, clearly already knowing the answer. "It is a pleasure, you may call me Åsne.

That was a fine showing, if I may say so myself. It has been a good few years since we saw an evolution in battle, and the Climax System is a lost art, too. A marvelous display of power, you two."

Cold as ice gaze fell onto Ben, naturally drifting to the Omnitrix before it returned to amicable eye contact. Those eyes betraying the calculated thoughtfulness behind the friendly mask she was wearing.

"What, do you think I was asking about Evolution just for the hypothetical?" Ben asks back, clearly very amused both by Gatomon's excitement and Rea's little critique. "And, to be fair, it's only my second time doing that- wasn't sure if I'd even need to!"

Which, to be fair, he probably didn't. Those two acted big, but Heromon had been competing just fine, between his strength and Ben's clear advantage in combat experience.

Never mind Furymon's own clear talent out there... Ben hadn't gotten to pay attention to most of the fight outside of what he was having, but it almost felt like she'd have been able to win on her own if she was allowed to compete by herself. That Digivice may be old, as evident by Rea needing to smack it, but it definitely worked.

"Oh, was that 'surprise entrance' because your Warp Gate broke in the process?" Gatomon asked, ear twitching at the thought. "Well, you could certainly afford a new one with the earnings, or at worst we could let you use ours to get back home."

Rea glanced back at the conversation, but focused more on leading the way deeper into the inside of the Colosseum as everyone gave them looks. Especially so when they passed by the two downtrodden looking Sisters, who were flanked in front and back by Digimon twice their size. Clearly someone higher-up wasn't happy about them getting so effortlessly dealt with.

When they got the payout clerk, Rea fished out her phone and slid it through the counter's slot for the payment. There's glance back to Ben, ushering him over as well considering.

"C'mon, get your pay, too. Don't wanna stick around for the corpos to find you." She said, glancing over his shoulder.